Page 92 of Captivating Magic

“Thornes onlytrulylove once, Laszlo,” Damian said with a laugh. “The fact you were pining for her while trying to stay faithful to another doesn’t make you a bad person. Quite the opposite when the pull is strong between fated mates. Your control was admirable.”

“Is it wrong to admit I like being the subject of your locker-room talk?” Ebba teased.

“Not locker room,” Clutch said, clapping Lo on the back. “We were attempting to reap a serial killer. Your man wanted me to tell you in case he didn’t make it through the mission.”

Her heart thunked in her chest. “Oh!”

“It’s true.” Lo drew her away and tangled a finger in one of her curls.

“That wouldn’t have been fair to Charlotte.”

He shrugged. “Our marriage had already crumbled to dust. It wasn’t going to hurt for you to know I cared.”

“I’m glad we’re here now. It feels like a dream, though.”

“Why’s that?” he asked gently.

“I’d always hoped we’d wind up together. In love.”

“I’m glad, too, ya know.”

Ebba wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned her forehead into his chest. “Will you be mad if I leave you to entertain everyone and go to bed? The shifting has taken a toll.”

“Not at all. Go, Sweet. Get rest. I’ll clean all this up.”

She called a thank you to the others and went for a shower. Her need to cleanse the day from her skin and hair was more pressing than the promise of sleep. If she could scrub her soul clean of the worry and sadness she’d experienced, she’d do that, too.

“Thanks for the assist today, Ky.”

Her wolf didn’t answer, but the mutual understanding was there.

Sunlight peekedaround the edges of her blackout curtains, and Ebba blinked, waiting for her eyes to adjust. She reached out, but she was alone, and no indentation appeared on the pillow. Clearly, he’d not shared her bed last night. As she lay there, she listened for an indication he might be somewhere else in the apartment.

Nothing.

No one.

“Gone,”Kyrella confirmed.

Reaching through her familiar’s bond with Laszlo, she realized she couldn’t sense him. How close did he have to be for their link to work?

“He’s not on this plane,”her wolf said.

That tidbit of info had her shooting up and dragging jeans over her ass. She didn’t know what the hell it meant for him to be absent from the earthly plane, but it struck her as off.

Whipping open the bedroom door, she stopped short and squinted at the hulking figure sprawled facedown on her sofa. The white-blond hair gave him away.

“Alex?”

He grunted and pulled the lightweight throw blanket higher on his shoulder.

She pressed her fingers to her mouth to stem a giggle. The man looked absolutely ridiculous with his saggy-socked feet sticking past the end of the sofa.

“What are you doing on my couch?” Ebba asked.

“Babysitting,” he muttered as he gave up on comfort and sat up.

“Why didn’t you wake me and take the bed?”

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